The Australian’s Australian of the Year: Chloe McCardel is a true champion in and out of the water

Chloe McCardel has conquered the English Channel. Her strength and determination, in and out of the water, has earned her a nod for the The Australian’s Australian of the Year.

Chloe McCardel, in Sydney on Tuesday, has swum the English Channel a record 44 times. Picture: Jane Dempster

Marathon swimmer Chloe McCardel didn’t just swim the English Channel, she conquered it.

While many Australians were enduring yet another lockdown last year, McCardel was jetting across the world to embark on the accomplishment of a lifetime – completing her record-breaking 44th English Channel swim.

The Sydneysider completed the final lap on October 13 last year, breaking the world record for greatest crossings, after completing 35 single crossings, three double and a triple crossing over her swimming career.

McCardel, who is also a motivational speaker and anti-domestic violence advocate, is also the only Australian to complete a non-stop triple crossing of the channel and is the world record holder for the longest non-stop ocean swim.

“When I was 19-years-old I decided I wanted to be the best in the world at something,” she said.

“I knew I had to go to the ­English Channel as it’s the most respected and toughest swim, so I set my sights on conquering it, not just swimming it.”

Swimming the channel is a feat of athleticism which involves navigating 33km of freezing water rife with dangerous currents, typically from near Dover to Cap Gris Nez, which requires peak physical fitness and unwavering willpower.

Chloe McCardel celebrates after finishing a swim across the English Channel. Picture: Getty Images

“I have this spiritual connection to the channel; I call it my home because when I come back there it feels like coming home,” McCardel said.

“Not just me, it draws people in from all across the globe. I have a love-hate relationship with it; it’s so wild and there is nowhere to hide in the channel – you have to put your game face on and it challenges you on that physical level.

“It really tests how a human being can fight mother nature, and some people go crazy out there alone with their thoughts and the cold. It’s a celebration of the human spirit.”

Her strength and resilience on water has been matched on land, with McCardel stepping out of the shadows to push for domestic ­violence reform by giving evidence about her own experience at a NSW parliamentary inquiry into coercive control last year.

“I was really shaken up and very emotional, I had tears in my eyes and I was trying to get out my experience,” she said. “It took a big toll on me giving that evidence – it took me four to six weeks to get over the emotional toll.”

Her courage and determination has earned her a nomination for The Australian’s Australian of the Year for 2021.

Now having completed several world records in crossing the channel, the spell has been broken for McCardel.

She has set her sights on a new goal and will embark on a relay crossing from the UK to Belgium, through the freezing North Sea, before completing a solo crossing mid this year.

Readers are encouraged to submit a nomination for The Australian’s Australian of the Year. Prominent Australians can be nominated by filling out the form, or emailing to [e-mail]. Nominations close on Friday, January 21.